2009 NHRA MILE HIGH NATIONALS - SAME DAY COVERAGE
Teams travel high and deep into the Rocky Mountains to more than 5,800 feet, where the altitude affects everything from engine tune-ups to aerodynamics.
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SUNDAY FINAL - CAPPS, BROWN, A. JOHNSON AND KRAWIEC EARN VICTORIES AT MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS AT BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY
Ron Capps raced to his fifth Funny Car victory of the season Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.
Capps beat Ashley Force Hood in the final round for his 30th career victory and first at the Denver dragstrip. With the win, Capps moved into a first place tie with Force Hood in the Funny Car point standings.
“I could hear her car over there,” said Capps, who powered his NAPA Dodge Charger to a 4.187 second run at 297.22 mph to hold off Force Hood’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, which finished in 4.231 at 296.96. “Fortunately, out car got through the early part of the track and pulled away. I talked to ‘Ace’ (crew chief Ed McCulloch) during the off-week and he said, ‘We’re going to get the points lead back.’ I’ve never heard him talk like that before.”
It was Force Hood’s sixth final round appearance of the season and the second final against Capps. He also beat her in the money round to win at Topeka.
“As a competitor in this class, you have to embrace the fact that Ashley is a big deal,” Capps said. “Not only is she a big deal, but she has shouldered that more than anybody I’ve ever 
known. It reminds me of Shirley Muldowney who did it back when there were several barriers to be broken.”
Antron Brown, Allen Johnson and Eddie Krawiec also were winners in their categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Brown increased his Top Fuel points lead to 116 over Larry Dixon with his third victory of the season. His Matco Tools dragster posted a 3.944 at 295.21 to defeat Doug Kalitta, whose Rocky Boots dragster suffered an engine explosion at the start which automatically deployed his parachutes.
“The monkey of winning from No. 1 is finally off our back,” Brown said. “There was a lot of pressure on us this weekend. All these guys were cutting lights on me, and my crew chiefs had to stay on top of the weather that was changing constantly. This trophy is worthwhile because of the stout competition. You always want to win. That’s what puts you in the record books and makes history. The championship is the big picture, but you’re always upset after a semifinal or runner-up because you lost. Winning makes you heal from all those times that you lost before. This is my Robitussin.”
Johnson earned his second Pro Stock win of the season and his third consecutive final at this event. He beat Jason Line in the final round with a quicker reaction time at the start. Johnson’s J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Stratus posted a 7.004 at 195.87 to just edge Line’s quicker Summit Racing Pontiac GXP, which finished in 7.001 at 195.76. It was Johnson’s seventh career victory.
“I love Denver,” Johnson said. “We have a combination here that’s really hard to beat. We test our butts off here so we can do well for Mopar. I think I had the most butterflies I’ve ever had in my life when I raced in the first round. By the time we got to the semis, I settled down and told myself, ‘We’ve got the combination.’ We really didn’t make a good run in the final. In fact, we burned the clutch up pretty good, but to give it to my guys on the holeshot feels very good.”
Jeg Coughlin, who advanced to the semis in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt, increased his Pro Stock points lead to 83 over Mike Edwards, who lost in the second round in his ART/Young Life GXP.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Krawiec extended his series points lead with his third victory of the season in his sixth consecutive final round appearance. He took the automatic win in the final round when his fellow Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Andrew Hines fouled at the start.
“We didn’t have the best bikes every single round, but Andrew and I did our jobs as riders and got it done,” Krawiec said. “I’ve been to six straight finals, which is something I’ve never dreamed of. To have two straight all-Harley finals is incredible, and I’m just so happy for our team. We broke a throttle cable in the semis at his race last year, and I really thought that was going to be my first win. I love Bandimere, and it was nice to win against Andrew in the final. We’re teammates, but we’re probably the two most competitive people in the pits. Whether we’re walking or cutting the grass, we try to race each other doing it.”
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues next weekend with the second stop on the Western Swing, the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 17-19 at Pacific Raceways near Seattle.
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - CAPPS, BROWN, EDWARDS AND ARANA EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS
Ron Capps raced to his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season Saturday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.
Capps took the top position with a powerful run of 4.121 seconds at 297.22 mph in his NAPA Dodge Charger, which just edged out Tony Pedregon’s best of 4.135 in his Q-Horsepower Chevy Impala. Capps will face veteran driver Gary Densham in the first round.
“There’s been a change in ‘Ace’ this year,” Capps said. “He has the eye of the tiger and wants to rip everyone’s throats out during qualifying. We looked back at all the points we lost in qualifying last year, and we lost several rounds worth of them. What’s cool is that ‘Ace’ can go for it during qualifying, but he can still go back to the approach of getting the car down the track that helps during hot conditions.”
Antron Brown, Mike Edwards and Hector Arana also will lead their respective pro categories into Sunday’s noon eliminations as the No. 1 qualifiers at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Top Fuel points leader Brown claimed his fifth No. 1 position of the season, crossing the finish line in 3.862 at 318.39 in his Matco Tools dragster. Brown will meet Rob Passey in the opening round of eliminations.
“We broke a belt before the finish line,” Brown said. “Our half-track numbers were great, so it might have gone 319 or 320 mph if it stayed together. Our team is just having so much fun out here. Hats off to everyone on the Bandimere crew, because this is easily one of the best tracks I’ve ever driven on. We threw everything at it, and it still wouldn’t spin the tires. It’s like Disneyland right now. It’s too bad that it will be warmer tomorrow.”
Edwards earned his seventh No. 1 qualifying position of the season in Pro Stock, powering his ART/Young Life Pontiac GXP to a track record performance of 6.957 at 197.71. He will face Mark Buehring in the opening round as Edwards will try for his sixth consecutive final round appearance.
“It’s very rewarding to come out here and qualify No. 1,” Edwards said. “Our program has really turned around this year. We lost a handle on it a little bit yesterday, but our team worked hard and got it back. I feel tickled and blessed. I feel bad for (Allen Johnson), because he had transmission trouble on his last run, and it’s his 
sponsor’s race. I told everybody before the last run that I think we can get second but not first. [Johnson’s crew chief] Mark Ingersoll is spectacular on that mountain.”
By qualifying in that position, Edwards becomes the second Pro Stock driver to secure his position in the Countdown to 1, NHRA’s playoffs.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hector Arana pushed his Lucas Oil Buell to the top of the 16-bike order with a 7.319 at 180.81 for his second No. 1 effort of the season. Arana, who won earlier in the season at Gainesville, will face No. 16 qualifier Bailey Whitaker in the opening round.
“What an awesome feeling,” Arana said. “We had some left in it yesterday, and we decided to get a little aggressive. I knew the opportunity was there in the final session, because I watched the air get 800 feet better. We have a fast and consistent bike, and my goal is to win tomorrow.”
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First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 30th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the 13th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 3.862 seconds, 318.39 mph vs. 16. Rob Passey, 9.653, 110.40; 2. Cory McClenathan, 3.882, 317.05 vs. 15. Terry Haddock, 4.841, 170.77; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.895, 312.28 vs. 14. Todd Simpson, 4.402, 266.16; 4. Larry Dixon, 3.903, 310.34 vs. 13. Steven Chrisman, 4.300, 272.89; 5. Spencer Massey, 3.940, 303.43 vs. 12. Mike Strasburg, 4.091, 281.60; 6. Doug Kalitta, 3.975, 305.42 vs. 11. Clay Millican, 4.082, 304.05; 7. Shawn Langdon, 3.982, 309.63 vs. 10. Joe Hartley, 4.076, 292.52; 8. Brandon Bernstein, 4.008, 304.94 vs. 9. Morgan Lucas, 4.045, 290.57.
Funny Car -- 1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.121, 297.22 vs. 16. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 6.145, 111.78; 2. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.135, 294.50 vs. 15. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 5.118, 151.43; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.152, 297.68 vs. 14. Grant Downing, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.633, 200.80; 4. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.156, 303.37 vs. 13. Jerry Toliver, Monte Carlo, 4.269, 296.50; 5. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.157, 293.28 vs. 12. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.257, 294.05; 6. John Force, Mustang, 4.176, 298.93 vs. 11. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.241, 284.93; 7. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.185, 301.00 vs. 10. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.203, 292.90; 8. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.188, 293.47 vs. 9. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.196, 296.63.
Pro Stock -- 1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.957, 197.71 vs. 16. Mark Buehring, Chevy Cobalt, 7.205, 191.38; 2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.964, 197.10 vs. 15. Danny Gruninger, Stratus, 7.165, 192.74; 3. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.986, 196.67 vs. 14. Warren Johnson, GXP, 7.076, 196.04; 4. Jason Line, GXP, 6.990, 197.42 vs. 13. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 7.037, 195.73; 5. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.993, 196.73 vs. 12. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 7.028, 195.85; 6. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.995, 196.64 vs. 11. Rickie Jones, Stratus, 7.028, 195.48; 7. V. Gaines, Stratus, 7.015, 195.45 vs. 10. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 7.021, 196.39; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 7.016, 196.30 vs. 9. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 7.017, 195.31.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.319, 180.81 vs. 16. Bailey Whitaker, Buell, 7.536, 172.08; 2. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.342, 179.02 vs. 15. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.491, 174.96; 3. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.358, 177.98 vs. 14. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.482, 176.51; 4. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.363, 177.65 vs. 13. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.477, 174.64; 5. David Hope, Buell, 7.374, 176.44 vs. 12. Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.466, 178.26; 6. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.379, 176.90 vs. 11. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.456, 178.71; 7. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.379, 175.37 vs. 10. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.448, 175.71; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.386, 177.28 vs. 9. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.401, 177.93. Did Not Qualify: 17. Ken Van Buren, 7.654, 173.83; 18. Katie Sullivan, 7.729, 174.08.
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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - MCCLENATHAN, PEDREGON, JOHNSON AND TREBLE LEAD QUALIFYING AT DENVER’S MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS
Cory McClenathan raced to the qualifying lead Friday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at scenic Bandimere Speedway near Denver.
The veteran driver posted a performance of 3.882 seconds at 317.05 mph in his FRAM Tough Guard dragster to lead the Top Fuel category, finally bringing to a close a long first day of qualifying prolonged by several rain delays.
“It was unbelievable how many fans stuck around to watch us after the delay,” McClenathan said during a midnight visit to the media center. “It was so cool to hear how many people were cheering when the first pair of fuelers pulled up after the track dried. This track is killer, and the FRAM guys did a great job. You always wonder how your car is going to run on ‘the hill.’ (Crew chiefs) Phil (Shuler) and Todd (Okuhara) looked at the conditions and said they were going to get after it, so I can’t say I’m surprised by how it ran. I never would have thought I’d see a car go 276 mph to 660 feet at this place, though.”
Tony Pedregon, Allen Johnson and Craig Treble also were qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.
Pedregon was quickest in Funny Car with a 4.170 at 292.33 in his Q-Horsepower Chevy Impala.
“The conditions we ran in are the best conditions that you’ll see anywhere,” Pedregon said. “The challenge we face here is making enough power and downforce in the altitude. I was as excited as Dickie Venables, my crew chief, was when we saw how good the track conditions were. I didn’t think we were going to get the second session off today, but what do I know? I’m from California, and we don’t get this weather. That last session made it worth the long day. I have a three-year-old and a 10-month-old waiting for me in the motorhome – the glamorous life of a professional drag racer.”
Johnson powered his J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Stratus to the top spot in Pro Stock, covering the distance with a track record performance of 6.964 at 197.10.
Earlier in final Pro Stock session, Greg Anderson became the first driver in that category to post a six-second elapsed time at the famed high-altitude drag strip, clocking a 6.993 in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP. Mike Edwards also joined Anderson and Johnson in the Denver six-second club with a 6.995 in his ART/Young Life GXP.
“I was watching the scoreboard in front of me,” said Johnson, who won this event in 2007 and was runner-up here last season. “After Greg took the first six-second run away from us, I wanted to run something that would knock his you-know-what in the dirt. I feel fortunate to run like that here to give the Mopar guys something to hold their chest out about. Testing out here for three days really paid dividends for us. This is an important race to us, so we want to be ready. We don’t come to this race just wanting to win – we want to qualify No. 1 and dominate.”
Treble rode his Team Scream Suzuki to a 7.358 at 177.98 to lead Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying.
“We’re really satisfied with how the bike is running,” Treble said. “The first run was basically a scrub pass. We just got our motor back from Vance & Hines, and you’re not supposed to turn the wick up on it until it’s broken in. We went out there conservative, put some carbon on the pistons, and turned it up. It shot out of there on the last pass. We just gave the bike what we thought it would take. It has a couple hundredths left in it, but I’m trying to be smart about tuning it. Every round-win is more gas money to get to the next race.”
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 3:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations start at noon.
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Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 30th annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, 13th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 3.882 seconds, 317.05 mph; 2. Antron Brown, 3.883, 318.39; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.897, 312.28; 4. Larry Dixon, 3.932, 307.58; 5. Spencer Massey, 3.972, 284.51; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.982, 309.63; 7. Doug Kalitta, 3.986, 305.42; 8. Joe Hartley, 4.095, 292.52; 9. Brandon Bernstein, 4.098, 292.58; 10. Clay Millican, 4.125, 292.14; 11. Morgan Lucas, 4.170, 282.54; 12. Mike Strasburg, 4.280, 279.90. Not Qualified: 13. Todd Simpson, 4.485, 266.16; 14. Rob Passey, 5.996, 110.40.
Funny Car -- 1. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.170, 292.33; 2. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.178, 288.39; 3. Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.203, 291.82; 4. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.210, 293.47; 5. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.218, 295.72; 6. John Force, Mustang, 4.270, 292.52; 7. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.287, 283.49; 8. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.309, 281.36; 9. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.412, 294.37; 10. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.472, 276.80; 11. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.937, 158.22; 12. Matt Hagan, Charger, 8.205, 84.10. Not Qualified: 13. Grant Downing, broke; 14. Mike Neff, broke.
Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.964, 197.10; 2. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.993, 196.73; 3. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.995, 196.62; 4. Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 7.014, 195.53; 5. V. Gaines, Stratus, 7.015, 194.83; 6. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 7.019, 194.77; 7. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 7.028, 195.05; 8. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 7.034, 194.18; 9. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 7.035, 194.86; 10. Jason Line, GXP, 7.059, 195.93; 11. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 7.067, 194.41; 12. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 7.070, 194.32. Not Qualified: 13. Rickie Jones, 7.082, 194.16; 14. Warren Johnson, 7.105, 194.88; 15. Mark Buehring, 7.232, 191.24; 16. Danny Gruninger, 7.239, 191.27.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.358, 177.98; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.363, 180.43; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.372, 178.57; 4. David Hope, Buell, 7.374, 176.44; 5. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.379, 176.90; 6. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.386, 177.28; 7. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.420, 175.89; 8. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.448, 175.71; 9. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.456, 178.71; 10. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.470, 177.93; 11. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.477, 174.64; 12. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.482, 176.51. Not Qualified: 13. Matt Smith, 7.489, 174.26; 14. Jim Underdahl, 7.516, 174.96; 15. Bailey Whitaker, 7.555, 169.53; 16. Katie Sullivan, 7.580, 174.08; 17. Douglas Horne, 7.638, 178.26; 18. Ken Van Buren, 7.743, 171.38.
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NHRA’S GRUELING THREE-RACE WESTERN SWING KICKS OFF AT MOPAR MILE-HIGH NATIONALS IN DENVER
There
are many words used by NHRA drivers and crew chiefs to describe NHRA’s
Western Swing, the trio of mid-summer races that stretch from Denver to
Seattle to Sonoma, Calif. in a span of three weeks.
Grueling. Critical. Demanding.
The one word you won’t hear race team members use to associate the challenge of the Western Swing: Easy.
Teams will travel approximately 2,115 miles during the 21-day
mini-marathon so that their race cars can – if all goes according to
plan – log a maximum of 6 miles (4.5 for Top Fuel and Funny Car)
combined on all three race tracks. In between those 1,000-foot or
quarter-mile runs, the teams will be pushed to the limit to service
those vehicles in 75 minutes or less. Each race will present its own
set of unique circumstances, whether it be extreme altitude,
unpredictable weather conditions or sheer physical exhaustion from the
task at hand.
The Western Swing kicks off with the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals,
July 10-12, at scenic Bandimere Speedway, just west of Denver. Tony
Schumacher (Top Fuel); Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car); Greg Anderson (Pro
Stock); and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners
of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, which will be
televised by ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
For Ron Capps, driver of the NAPA Dodge Charger R/T, the Western Swing
is a cool part of NHRA history and a key stretch of each season that
usually offers a sneak preview of the teams that will likely be there
at the end, battling for the Full Throttle Series world championship
crowns.
“It’s pretty historic when you look back at who has done well in the
Western Swing in the past,” said Capps, a four-time winner this season.
“You see a lot of drivers who have done well on the Western Swing in
every category of NHRA racing go on to be the champions at the end of
the year.
“When you stand back and look at it from a racer’s view, getting into
the Countdown (to the Championship, NHRA playoffs) is as difficult as
it gets at this stage because you start off with a race in Denver,
Colorado, where it’s a mile high, there’s hardly any oxygen and it’s
warm. It’s very tough for a crew chief to make a car run there and
physically, for a driver, it’s one of the most demanding tracks we go
to.”
Once teams master the unique challenges that Bandimere presents, they
are off to two races closer to sea level: the NHRA Northwest Nationals
at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash., and the FRAM-Autolite NHRA
Nationals at Infineon Raceway in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
Capps, who has won races at two of the three stops on the Western
Swing, says even though the altitude is left behind, it doesn’t get any
easier.
“And the very following weekend we go to Seattle, Washington, where you
go from one mile up to below sea level with lots of trees around and
oxygen for the engine,” Capps explained. “The conditions in Seattle are
wonderful for the engine and you really have to be on your game because
the track can be very fast , where you’re used to being up in Denver
where the times are two or three tenths slower than what they would be
at sea level.
“Then, from there we go to hot and dry conditions in Sonoma,
California, where again it’s close to sea level but always very hot.
It’s a grueling three weeks because Denver separates the great crew
chiefs from the OK crew chiefs. If you don’t have your act together as
a crew chief in Denver you’re going to hurt parts because it’s very
hard on parts in the first place.”
The Western Swing has been a part of the NHRA circuit since 1989. Since
that time, only six pro drivers have swept the trio of races. Top Fuel
legend Joe Amato did it in 1991 and was followed by Funny Car kingpin
John Force in 1994. Top Fuel’s Cory McClenathan did it in 1997 and
Larry Dixon accomplished the feat in 2003. Anderson became the first
Pro Stock driver to do it in 2004 and last year Schumacher capped a
record-breaking season by holding a broom in the winner’s circle at
Infineon Raceway.
“Basically, it’s as grueling a three-in-a-row stint as we’re going to
get on the NHRA Full Throttle circuit,” Capps said. “This is when you
start thinking a little bit ahead about where you want to be when the
Countdown begins. We want to be the points leader. And right now
there’s some teams back there in sixth, seventh, eighth, all the way to
10th place and even 12th that are battling. And I was in that position
last year. We were struggling a little bit. It’s going to be great for
the fans to watch those teams fight it out because there are going to
be several very good championship-caliber teams that are not going to
make the Countdown.
“This is the point of the season where you need momentum. If you have a
bad three races now it could very well knock you out of the Countdown.
We’re at the front of the pack and we’re expected to leave Sonoma with
the Full Throttle points lead.”
Other drivers joining Capps at the front of the Funny Car pack entering
the Mopar Mile-High Nationals include series points leader Ashley Force
Hood, driver of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang and two-time world champ
Tony Pedregon, driver of the Q-Horsepower Chevy Impala. Others to watch
include past Denver winners Jack Beckman, Del Worsham, Robert Hight and
Cruz Pedregon, the defending series champ.
In
Top Fuel, Dixon enters the race riding high from his recent win in
Norwalk, Ohio, the fourth of the season for the driver of Alan
Johnson’s new Al-Anabi Racing team. After failing to qualify for the
season-opening race, Dixon has moved steadily up the points order to
his current position of second overall. He is one of the few drivers to
ever sweep the Western Swing.
“It’s a very challenging swing for the teams just in the amount of
mileage they have to drive and the work and prep that’s involved in
between the events,” Dixon said. “Most of the legs are two-day drives,
and they still have to have the cars and equipment ready to go. It’s a
lot on the teams. Having won at all of these races, I have good
memories from each of them. They’re fun races to win for different
reasons. With the elevation at Denver, it’s hard to make good power
and have good downforce because the air is so thin. We’ve raced there
before when the air is corrected to what you’d find at 10,000 feet so
that makes it tough to make power and build downforce… Seattle has
always had challenging track conditions so winning there is great
accomplishment… Winning at Sonoma is fun because of being in California
again…just being on the West coast. A lot of friends and family show up
for that race, and being able to win in front of family and friends is
always great.”
Several drivers will challenge Dixon, including series points leader
Antron Brown, driver of the Matco Tools dragster, and defending race
winner and six-time world champ Schumacher, whose U.S. Army dragster
team is now led by crew chief Mike Green. Veteran drivers McClenathan,
Brandon Bernstein and Doug Kalitta also are among the pre-race
favorites at Bandimere.
Jeg Coughlin, Mike Edwards and Jason Line have been the major
headliners in Pro Stock competition this season, while the Screamin’
Eagle Vance & Hines tandem of Eddie Krawiec, who has advanced to
five consecutive final rounds, and recent winner Andrew Hines, are atop
the Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings.
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